[kintantee]

Hey there,

I am planning to build my first PC real soon and I am in need of your advice regarding budget monitor. I will be mostly gaming on this computer with programming and watching movies on the side. I don’t know what kind of tech I should go like an IPS or a TN or whatever… I spent my entire computer carrier on laptops so I am completely clueless regarding a stand-alone monitor experience.

I came across ASUS VP228H, do you think it will do the job? It’s price is around 100 bucks on amazon, but due to import and some other form of high taxes in my country, together with reseller profits, even this price transforms into a premium one. So I have to stick with a budget monitor for now. If you have an alternative suggestion, it should be around VP228H in terms of cost.

What I ultimately want is a gaming-suitable monitor that won’t give me a headache after two hours of use.

I would appreciate if you can list several alternatives because some monitors can not be found here. If the first monitor that you suggest isn’t obtainable, I can buy some other one.

Thank you folks in advance,

Kin.

[PCM2]

Hi kintantee,

There are a number of topics on ‘good monitors for viewing comfort’ which would really hit what you’re after, but I appreciate that you’re also specifically after something that is really on the very lower end of cost for a new display. Regardless of budget, you should be looking out for a few things in a monitor:

1) Appropriate size for viewing distance (and budget ) – ~22″ should be fine for this.

2) A PWM-free (flicker free) backlight is preferable. Some users experience various degrees of visual discomfort from the constant flickering of some backlights that use Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to regulate brightness. They don’t always notice the flickering as a flickering but the negative consequences of this can be felt by many people. Often they don’t even realise the connection and for prolonged viewing it’s best to avoid monitors that use PWM – which many do at the moment, but not always the case with the cheapest models.

3) The screen surface has to be appropriate for your lighting environment. Most people find matte surfaces most comfortable for viewing in common lighting environments, but there are a range of different options available there. Something moderately light is usually best for maximum glare reduction without things looking overly smeary/dirty due to excessive graininess. That graininess can itself cause eyestrain and is something that simply bothers some users. With cheaper models, though, you’re really looking at either medium matte (which can verge on being a bit grainy) or glossy (which is only really suitable if your lighting environment is quite tightly controlled).

4) You need to consider an appropriate brightness and of course having a display that will allow you to use that brightness. For prolonged viewing some users would prefer a low brightness <100cd/m2, especially if the room is not too light. Not all monitors will go that low using appropriate colour/contrast settings. Others find 160 cd/m2 fine even in a dim room, so it's quite a personal thing.

5) A ‘reading mode’ or ‘warm’ preset can help to quickly cut out ‘blue light’ for more relaxing evening viewing. Some people prefer a slightly warmer look (less blue light) throughout the day as well. Almost all monitors allow you to adjust the colour temperature to your preferences and there is a useful tool called F.lux if you’re interested in more comfortable evening viewing without touching monitor settings.

So which models tick all or most of these boxes?

Given all of this, I wouldn’t recommend the VP228H. It is ‘flicker-free’ (apparently high freuqnecy PWM, at least) and has low blue light modes, which is good. But I can confirm from user experiences that it doesn’t have the best luminance adjustment range and has a bit of a grainy matte screen surface. It also has poor sRGB coverage, gamma handling and a poor pixel response time solution (inverse ghosting or conventional trailing regardless of setting used).

So it would do the trick and you may find the responsiveness just fine anyway, but it isn’t going to be great. Technically you’re going to be better off looking for a cheap AH-IPS panel, but it seems eve those might be beyond your extremely restrictive budget. I’m not here to give financial advice, but is it not possible to wait until you’ve saved up just a bit more for the monitor? If not, keep the VP228H in mind but perhaps also consider some others:

1) Dell S2216M. I’m not sure if this is flicker-free and again I haven’t used it myself, although all other recent Dell models I’ve used are flicker-free. Regardless, users find this model offers pleasing responsiveness and image quality. It uses a low-haze matte surface, so in that respect is generally pleasing on the eyes. It also has a ‘Paper’ Low Blue Light setting.

2) ViewSonic VX2276-smhd. No experience or user feedback on this one, but it uses a new AH-IPS panel so should have a decent screen surface (cleaner than the VP228H), decent sRGB coverage and decent responsiveness. The last point is very difficult to assess without feedback as a lot depends on the pixel overdrive implementation. It’s also flicker-free and offers ‘Low Blue Light’ settings.

3) Some of LG’s models. They have loads of cheap-ish IPS models out there. And price and availability will vary by region. Something like the LG 22MC57HQ, perhaps. They’re generally marketed as ‘flicker-safe’ which either means DC dimming is used (i.e. they’re PWM free) or high-frequency PWM is used which you shouldn’t find visually uncomfortable (same as the ASUS according to user feedback).

[kintantee]

Unfortunately, a quick Google search didn’t give me any sort of results. I did checked several websites manually, no luck. These three monitors either aren’t imported to Turkey, or they are really hard to find. Here in Turkey, we have this weird situation of absence of proper products that happens to be popular in other parts of the world. I check a product, read some reviews then notice I can’t find it anywhere for sale.

After posting here, I kept researching. I found Viewsonic VX2363SMHL-W. It’s chassis is cheap plastic, but internals and some tech incorporated (e.g. flicker free) seems okay. It’s 15 TL (~$5) expensive than VP228H. What do you think?

Other options:

AOC i2276VWM: A bit cheaper compared to VX2363SMHL-W, like $30 or so, but I am willing to pay that if you think Viewsonic offers much better pictorial experience. Note that I was initially planning to buy this one, but after reading your review, I decided not to and started to look for a better alternative.

Viewsonic VX2363SMHL: The black version without -W postfix on model string. Not sure if its a different mode or something. Slightly cheaper, but I can afford the the wide one.

I am not sure if these are IPS panels, but some more alternatives: Acer G227HQLABID, Philips 234E5QSB-01, LG 22MP57HQ-P. These are 20 to 30 dollars cheaper than Viewsonic VX2363SMHL-W but then again if Viewsonic is better, I am willing to pay that additional price.

Me listing some models, asking you to tell me whichever is best might seem a lazy question. Let me just state that I did checked their specs from manufacturer websites, but they can’t be reliable and frankly meaningless without a technical user review. The problem is all of these products, save for AOC one which was reviewed in this website, lacks a sound/technical review on Internet. So that’s the reason I am listing some models, asking for an advice.

Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

[PCM2]

The VX2363Smhl is a solid choice (yes, identical to the ‘W’ model but black). I didn’t mention it in my initial list as I thought it would be beyond your budget, but I haven’t checked pricing for that over for a while. It offers decent responsiveness and out of the box image quality, according users. Or also offers a flicker-free backlight, Low Blue Light settings and uses an AH-IPS panel without an excessively grainy screen surface.

I have no experience user feedback to share on the remaining models. The exception being the AOC which I’ve reviewed and feel uses a vastly inferior panel. With a grainy screen surface and inferior responsiveness it really isn’t as good as the ViewSonic.

[kintantee]

Thanks for your help mate. I appreciate it! I will buy a Viewsonic very soon.

[swarbs]

On the hunt for a monitor for work, but don’t want to spend more than £120. Have come up with these two which one would you go for?

AOC i2369Vm or BenQ GW2470H.

[PCM2]

Hi swarbs,

I’ve placed your post here as this is an appropriate place for it with some useful discussions and suggestions already here. As per our review of the i2369Vm, it’s certainly a capable monitor. A key reason it isn’t recommended widely by us any more is that it lacks a flicker-free backlight. Some users find backlights that use PWM for brightness regulation (and hence flicker, like the AOC) to be less comfortable and more fatiguing on the visual system. The BenQ on the other hand does have a flicker-free backlight and also boasts ‘Low Blue Light’ settings for relaxing evening viewing and a strong contrast VA panel which works nicely for text viewing in particular.

Between those two the BenQ is really the better choice for text-based work, but it depends exactly what your ‘work’ entails. There are some alternative suggestions earlier on in this thread – although if your budget is very strictly £120 max. then you’ve really picked some good choices yourself.

P.S. I’m sure you’ve noticed the noticed around the website regarding supporting our work if buying from Amazon.

[smart2net]

Hi Guys,

Need a 24-27 inch monitor. am a candid photographer require a monitor with good color re production for editing the pics. beginning level photographer so couldnt spend much on the display. but require a decent one with SRGB reproduction 99% . what are my budget suggestions ..will be a great help if u guys can help cant go over 300$ at the max 400 the lesser the price will be great help.please give your suggestions

[PCM2]

With respect to your budget there are plenty of options available. The best in terms of affordability and strong factory calibration (I assume you don’t own or want to use a colorimeter?) would be the Dell U2417H and possibly the ViewSonic VP2468. I say possibly as I’m currently in the very early stages of reviewing it and can’t confirm much about it at this stage. It certainly looks good ‘on paper’, however.

[vanjo9800]

Hello, I want to buy a new monitor for basic usage. I would use it for basic computer functions such as browsing the web, watching movies and document manipulation. Up to now I want the monitor to be FullHD resolution, to have HDMI or DVI, an IPS display with a matte cover. Also I would appreciate if the monitor has a mode for reading which protects the eyes when reading something.

Up to now I have found the following solutions:
LG 22MP47D-P and LG 22MP48D-P which fulfill the requirements above, but have nothing more. In the store I found them, they cost 129$ and are with 3 years warranty.

Next comes another LG: LG 22MP58VQ-P, which again has the features above, but combined with Picture in Picture mode and handling of many screens. It costs 148$ and again has 3 years warranty.

Another intriguing products are:
– HP Pavilion 22xw for 155$
– HP 24es for 183$
– Dell P2217H for 189$ which also has the ability to be used in vertical mode

Which of these products would you advice me to get?
If you have another suggestions for a budget monitor, feel free to share them.

[PCM2]

Hi vanjo9800,

I’ve merged your thread with this one as it’s a suitable topic and I would advise reading the comphrehensive advice and specific recommendations shared here. As above I do rate the LG models (like the 22MP47D, 22MP48D and 22MP58VQ) as good monitors for the price. But as I haven’t tested those specific models I can’t really give any more detailed technical assessment. It seems to me that you’re not too fussed about the ability to run the screen in portrait orientation, additional ports available (in the case of the P2217H) nor would you have any real use for PiP/PbP functionality. So the cheaper LG models may be sufficient and the best value proposition.

[neracht]

Hello,

I need some advice choosing a new monitor. I’ve been looking extensively for the past two days for a budget 1080p monitor that won’t hit my bank account as hard as my i7 Skylake upgrade did last month. I’ve been using Samsung B2430 for the past 5-6 years, I have no complaints, it’s an OK monitor. I feel like whatever purchase i make will feel better than my current one.

Anyway, below are my options and i would much appreciate if you could comment on them.

SAMSUNG 23.5″ LS24F350FHMXUF – 4ms, PLS, FreeSync and surprisingly cheap. It’s new to the market i guess because i couldn’t find any good review on the web. But i try to be cautious when it comes to suspiciously cheap monitors. Whatever comments/overviews i found about this monitor was positive mostly, except for the wobbly stand.

Viewsonic VX2363SMHL -Lesser response time.

VIEWSONIC 23.6″ VX2457-mhd – This is with FreeSync and 1ms. However it’s a TN panel.

Benq RL2455HM 24″ – Another TN panel.

LG 23″ 23MP57HQ – IPS panel in the same price range.

I do casual gaming, watch movies etc. Nothing hardcore. But i prefer not to have ghosting or noticeable latency when i do game or watch movies.

I’m using an nvidia card so FreeSync is not (yet) usable for me, but a tiny deciding factor.

Thank you in advance!

[PCM2]

Although I haven’t tested it (Samsung don’t have a review sample currently), I’m quite confident that the S24F350FH (preferred designation) would be the one to go for. It should perform similarly to the Samsung S24E390HL and will certainly share the slightly lighter matte screen surface compared to the IPS and indeed TN model you’re considering. I would definitely avoid the BenQ RL2455HM – search the forum for this model if you’re curious.

[neracht]

Well that’s what I was thinking.

Thank you for swift reply.

[eyecansee]

So while looking at the Acer X34P as a future possibility I came across 2560×1440 21:9 screens. No G-Sync option it seems, but most or all of them are IPS and are more importantly $400 or less, some are even as low as $250-270. The X34P would be glorious (whenever it comes out), but a $1000 is a massive difference. Seems like the smaller screens provide a much better value.

I felt this thread was appropriate as now I am wondering and looking for a recommendation on the better options of 21:9 screens for gaming below $400 (add $150-200 for G-Sync – so a max of $600 – if that’s a strength of some panel).

[PCM2]

You mean to say 2560 x 1080 – 1920 x 1080 with extra bits at the side, in other words. As explored in this article. They are certainly a more budget-friendly (and for that matter GPU-friendly) entry into the world of 21:9 monitors. Were you interested in 34″ models in particular or 29″ models? The upcoming LG 34UC79G may be of particular interest if 34″ models were what you were after. Obviously no G-SYNC with that one, but then the resolution isn’t hugely demanding so that might not be essential. What GPU do you have?

I’d expect to see some G-SYNC models featuring that panel at some point in the future, anyway. But they won’t be cheap – in fact the only model supporting G-SYNC that uses that resolution is the Acer Z35.

[eyecansee]

Yeah, I was thinking 2560×1080 (aka a few extra bits on the side) in 29″ size. I’d go for 34″ on a 3440×1440, but those panels immediately put you at $700+, at which point I start eyeing the Acer X34 again.

I have a Gigabyte GTX970 G1 (factory overclocked model). It drives things quite fine, and I didn’t have problems when I tested the S2417DG (2560×1440) which had more pixels.

Edit: how I first came across this idea was when I saw U2913WM for $290 on Amazon. Turns out there’s actually a bunch of screens in that size and format for around the same price. That would be a great “starter” 21:9 before getting something epic eventually like the full-on 3440×1440 monitors.

[PCM2]

Yes, the U2913WM is a decent model. I actually used to own an AOC alternative and ended up giving it to my parents due to having lots of other models and no need for it. It’s a very similar product really, so that review will give you a good idea of what to expect. The overall image quality is very good, responsiveness is decent and it’s a nice entry into the world of 21:9.

[eyecansee]

PCM2, what do you think of the LG 29UM68-P?

[PCM2]

It’s a perfectly decent monitor. Very similar to the aforementioned Dell and AOC models really.

[Author]

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